Homemade Cafe

I do judge a breakfast place on their pancakes, and as one waitress accurately stated: «our pancakes will ruin other pancakes for you.»
I hope that, in your many quests for food, you will find other places that do the mightly pancake the justice it deserves, but if you get lost, led astray, heartbroken and disappointed, you can always come back to Homemade Café (I hope — it has been true for at least 30 years now).
The food is top notch, and creative (specials are always fun and changing) but the setting is wholly non-​pretentious. There are no irritating hipsters waiting the tables and lamenting the ennui of their 20s; no. The staff here is mature, and therefore legit (in my book). I like diners that manage to keep their staff for the long haul (like Bettes) and it encourages me that the business is a good one to work for if people are sticking around for years.
I also find that the waitstaff is patient and enthusiastic, despite being constantly slammed with customers. I never feel rushed, I always feel accommodated, and I am proud to live in a city with a restaurant like this one.
Bottom line: pancakes.

This place is packed on Sunday mornings, but we were in the neighborhood and were ready for some good homemade food. It was crazy busy but we did not have to wait long for our table near the front. It was cold so we chose to sit inside. There are a few small tables outside though.
We got our order taken right away and the server was very friendly. Homemade Café is a small place so it was a bit noisy since every table was taken which is a good sign. We did not have to wait long to get our brunch. I had the very cheesy cheese omelette, and a nice portion of very hot home fries, nicely crunchy and well seasoned, perfect! Everything I ate was wonderful. My wife had the eggs benedict with salmon, and she really liked it.
Great service, really awesome food, and fair prices. We will be back next time we are in Berkeley and needing a nice traditional breakfast.

I had the weirdest and most awful meal here today. Came in alone around 10 and was given the last seat at the counter… which is OK I like watching them cook. Ordered eggs, waffle, sausage $ 11. Waited and waited. 20, then 25 minutes. The couple on my left who came after me got their food. Same the guy on my right. Well this can happen. I noticed the cook on the right (grey/​white hair) chatting a lot with someone at the end of the counter with a laptop. Might even be the manager. But it was like 50% chat, 50% cooking. The cook on the left (black hair yellow shirt) was working fast churning out egg dishes. The couple on my left who came in well after me had now paid the tab and left… still no food for me. Finally about the 30 min mark the chatty cook puts a waffle down in front of me and says «its pretty burnt, want me to make you another one?» I should have said yes. How I wished I’d said yes! But I said instead «well I’ve been here 30 minutes already, I think I’ll just eat the eggs and let it go at that.» The other cook (black hair, yellow shirt) whirls around and yells at me «you haven’t been here that long… no way you’ve been here that long… I’ve been watching the clock!» Everyone all up and down the counter stops… some with food on their forks… and stairs at him/​me. He was loud and aggressive. OK I am a 65 year old, stooped old man. I didn’t come in for an argument, I came in for breakfast! Both cooks turn their back to me and back to their cooking/​eating everyone goes. The chance for another edible waffle flies out the window. I’m left with an inedible meal and a terrible bad feeling… what had I done to offend these guys? I tried the waffle… it was crispy totally burnt thru and thru… like a waffle cone you’d put ice cream into. There was nothing to do but take my bad feelings and leave. A woman came up behind me and offered to pay for the meal… as if that makes everything OK. I paid for the meal. After all, I ordered it. I still don’t know what set them off… perhaps they don’t like older customers.
Its probably possible to have a fine meal here at a good price here, but I can only comment on what I experienced. It took a very long time for my food to come, others were served before me, the cook himself pronounced the food he set in front of me as burnt, and the other cook tried to get an argument going with me!
Clearly the Homemade has all the customers they need, and if you don’t like how you are treated, well they have a few choice words for you!
PS…just read the Unilocal reviews for the past few days on the Homemade… seems like I am not the only one getting bad attitude and bad food!